Friday, 30 December 2011
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
G-Mag: A CHRISTMAS TUNE & FESTIVE CHAT WITH SUMMER CAMP
Encountering one another by coincidence at a gig just five years ago, Jeremy Warmsely and Elizabeth Sankey formed anonymous soft pedal synth duo, Summer Camp, to create an incidental soundtrack to an imaginary world. Building a mysterious Myspace, putting together a mixtape and going live only to experiment with the nostalgic, washed out samples they came to coin by accident, this insular, London-based duo are distinctly low-key about the acclaim they have received. Dreaming up a fantastical line-up consisting of seven swedish musicians, the illicit Summer Camp were instantaneously blogged by the trend-touting Transparentblog.com moments after releasing thier homemade material, and have since been profiled by The Guardian, NME, Pitchfork and Gorilla Vs Bear as ones to watch. After a period of time spent lurking in the shadows, reluctant to put a face to their name, Elizabeth and Jeremy’s identities were revealed after a breach of confidence leaked during a phone-interview. Since then both have embraced the limelight and played gigs across the country, supporting Sunderland quintet, Frankie and The Heartstrings, fully committing themselves to simply being Summer Camp and moving away from the new wave of ‘anonymous bands’ with which they were being assimilated. Releasing debut album Welcome to Condale, earlier this year via Apricot records, the recently married couple worked closely with Pulp’s Steve Mackey on production and cite I want You as the standout track from their self-written, stunning, twelve track compendium. Intelligent, insightful, fun, free and original this album feels like the soundtrack to a road-trip, spent with friends on a sunny day back in the 60′s. G-Mag caught up Jeremy and Elizabeth to find out how what they are proud of and excited about.
HOW LONG HAS YOUR DEBUT ALBUM WELCOME TO CONDALE BEEN IN PRODUCTION?
The oldest song on it was written in October 2009!
TELL ME THE STORY ABOUT THE SONGS WRITTEN THROUGHOUT THE ALBUM? WHAT IS THE LYRICAL FOCUS OF THE MATERIAL?
We created a small town in California called Condale and all the songs are ‘set’ there. Some of the characters are teenagers in the 80s and others are older and live in the 50s. The songs are all about the relationships between the different characters.
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE ALBUM BACK?
Proud and horrified in equal measures!
WHICH TRACK MEANS THE MOST TO YOU, PERSONALLY AND WHY?
Different days different tracks for different reasons. Today it’s Summer Camp, one of the oldest songs on the album and it had a funny evolution to the song it is today.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE IN FIVE YEARS TIME?
The moon.
HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO BE INVOLVED WITH STEVE MACKEY AND WHAT WAS HE LIKE TO WORK WITH?
We approached him as we were fans of his work inPulp and with MIA. He was great, he broadened our horizons and helped us see what kind of band we could be.
WHAT ARTISTS OR PRODUCERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE?
We would love to collaborate with Christine Mcvie from fleetwood mac, or Andy Weatherall.
WHAT EMERGING TALENT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW?
Love the band Theme Park, great new band from London, also Tawny Owl.
WHAT ARE THE 5 MOST TREASURED ALBUMS YOU HAVE IN YOUR MUSIC COLLECTION?
Kate Bush – The Dreaming, Blur – Parklife, Radiohead – Ok Computer, Fleetwood mac – mirage. Bullion – pet sounds
WHAT SINGLE THING HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT UPON YOUR SOUND AND WHY?
I guess the fact that we ever decided to make music together at all, it could very easily never have happened.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS?
Eat mince pies, drink ginger beer and makmerry…no comment!
WHAT WILL BE YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS?
Write better music
WHAT FIVE EVENTS SHOULD WE GET EXCITED ABOUT IN 2012?
The Olympics, Community & 30 Rock returning to our screens, Radiohead & magnetic fields touring.
AND FINALLY…
here is a little present from our friends Summer Camp to get us in the mood for the Christmas period. Enjoy!
Monday, 26 December 2011
Psychic Ills
Psychic Ills i-N Session for i-D Magazine from p i on Vimeo.
Mind expanding, experimental synth magicians Psychic Ills jam out strung out sounds, heavily infused with a heady dose of 60′s inspired psychedelia. Blondes not bombs.
Happening upon each other in the Big Apple back in 2003, psyche rock trio Psychic Ills are a long-haired arrangement of musicians who make the kind of music perfect for an out of body experience. Descending like a mist, Elizabeth Hart, Brian Tamborello and Tres Warrens’ dream-like tapestries fuse together hallucinatory, eastern flavoured rhythms, realised with a bass, drums, a guitar and synthesisers. Layering vocals over instrumentals, a signature sitar is occasionally plucked as an ambient howl leads a rolling wave of drowned out dub to a dramatic climax.
The band’s second album Mirror Eye was rated with a controversial 1.4/10 by Pitchfork, signifying that many are switched off by the meandering nature of this experimental music. But a brave few, more concerned by hemp, love and loose fitting attire, find their appetite for free-spirited sounds satisfied by the niche compositions Pyschic Ills create. An acquired taste, the band are highly skilled in the art of trance and being in the company of their improvised orchestra of beats and pieces transports you to a world of time-free fun. Turn on, tune in, drop out.
See more from i-D online’s i-N Session series
Text: Milly McMahon
Photography: Dalton Flint
Photography: Dalton Flint
Friday, 23 December 2011
Colour-by-numbers Christmas
Elli Ellisgon (aka AC Bananas) is the impulsive artist who crafts iconic, abstract scenes.
Moving to London in 2008 with love of his life and beau Saga Sig, self-taught, Icelandic illustrator Elli stepped outside of his chilly, familiar territories to explore the world beyond. Becoming curious about the complex world of art as an infant, Elli grew up surrounded by his father’s paintings. Influenced and inspired by Erró, Roy Lichtenstein, Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, this 30-year-old bearded beauty creates with conviction.Vice, i-D, Cassette Playa and See No Evil have all commissioned this brave man’s hard work for paintings, illustrations, logos and typography. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing his work first-hand, then get busy painting by numbers with this customised Christmas card he has designed especially for yule! Get printing. Get painting!
What is your earliest memory? Being knocked out with a stick by my kindergarden rival Svenni, I must have been around 3 yrs old. When did you first discover your love of illustration? I remember hanging out at my Dad’s studio admiring his paintings and drawings. My entire family is intensively creative; I guess the ink runs in the blood. I once locked myself in the bathroom in our house and took my mother’s favorite red Chanel lipstick and smudged it upon every white tile on the wall. A few weeks later I did the exact same thing in my father’s studio on one of his nearly finished paintings. My Dad caught me in action but went back into the house, got his camera and snapped a photo instead of getting angry with me. Who and what have been the biggest influences and inspirations that have shaped your aesthetic?Great artists such as Erró, Roy Lichtenstein, Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat have had a huge impact on my career, both as an illustrator and a painter mainly because what they brought to the table was and still is such an eye candy. Besides my Dad’s incredible work I believe Erró was a huge inspiration to me when I was a kid, in the early 80′s. His colours and collage of comical superheroes, American war heroes and erotic Japanese Shunga art combined was very hypnotising and inspiring to me. None of the above have shaped my style but they truly inspired me. What up-and-coming talent are you exited about? I’ve got a feeling that my good pal Danny Fox will take over the game pretty soon, he’s extremely talented and I admire his work a lot. I also admire illustrator Tomohiro Muramatsu, artist and designer Claire Barrow and Berlin based illustrator Meyoko. What are the tools of your trade? A pen and a pad, keeping it simple. Describe a typical day in the life of you… Shower, coffee and avacado toast at Wilton Way Cafe, sketch, more coffee, studio, emails, work, even more coffee, get a call from wifey reminding me to eat, eat, home, work, emails. You know, the typical day in a life of an artist, cheddar cheezy as it sounds!
Text: Milly McMahon
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Big Mac
The age of the hater is over.
If you have enough time to be up on YouTube channels bad-chatting new talent, perhaps the main cause of your frustrations lie closer to home? Nineteen-year-old Pittsburgh MC Mac Miller raps only about life as he knows and loves it. He’s the poster boy for an optimistic generation coming up and taking over. Fronting the ‘thumbs up movement’ – an attitude all about raising thumbs, not fingers – he spends almost all of his time hanging out with his boys at Blue Slide Park, and has even dedicated his debut album to his cherished stomping ground. After first picking up an instrument at the age of six, Mac – real name Malcolm McCormick – could play the drums, piano, guitar and bass by eight, and went on to produce and release a much-hyped mixtape aged only fifteen. He went to the same high school as Wiz Khalifa and he’s signed to the same label, his YouTube videos are levelling up to 30 million views, his twitter page boasts well over a million followers – tweet tweet – and he’s still a teenager. “When you’re young not much matters,” starts Mac’s 2010 mixtape K.I.D.S (sampling the Larry Clark film it’s named after). “When you find something that you care about, then that’s all you got.”
Monday, 19 December 2011
G-MAG CHATS TO PIP GREENBANK
HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO GET INVOLVED WITH 39-39 AND WHAT DOES YOUR WORK DOWN AT THE SHOP INVOLVE?
39-39 was an idea I dreamt up with my partner Tatsuo on New Years Eve about 2 years ago. We decided to put our heads together to think up an innovative business idea and came up with the 39-39 store, along with our third partner in the business Peter who is our art director. As we are such a small team, all three of us get involved in all areas of the store. I particularly look after womenswear buying, and generally making sure everything keeps ticking over nicely.
DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOU?
I’m normally rushing out the house like a lunatic, late, to get to my studio in Dalston. First off there’s coffee, always coffee, then emails. I try to make a checklist so I stay on track. l divide my time equally between each of my projects, sometimes I’ll be working on my collection with Courtney Love, which involves working with beautiful vintage garments and embellishments, l love it! At other times I’m working on another project, l’m designing for a brilliant label called Inspiredcollaborating with the most amazing artist called Storm Thorgerson. Then of course there is 39-39. I love being in the store and I love hanging out with our customers. I’ll normally finish up around 8:30-ish and then either meet up with friends or just head home to chill out.
WHAT RUNS THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOUR GETTING DRESSED IN THE MORNING?
It all depends on where l’m going to be or who l’m going to be meeting that day. I could be DJ’ing in the evening, so I normally have a costume change before that happens. Either way I try to be as glammed up as I can be when getting ready in morning. Eyeliner, lippy and perfume are a must. If l’m having a bad hair day, I’ll just clip a weave in! I have about 10 pairs of Victoria Beckham Jeans which I have to say are one of the best inventions ever. They go with everything and are super hot! Other than that I love mixing it up with a bit of vintage or some of the boyfriend’s wardrobe and I always have my bling bling Baby G on my wrist.
HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO WORK WITH COURTNEY LOVE AND WHAT IS THE CROSSOVER POINT BETWEEN YOUR CREATIVE VISION AND HER OWN?
Courtney was in London a couple of years back and had a hotel suite filled with the most beautiful garments. There were jewels, lace, chiffon, silk and antique embellishments as far the eye could see! I was told to get over to her hotel as she was looking for a designer to work with on her new label Never The Bride. I remember l had thirty minutes to drop everything and run over to Browns Hotel! We chatted a lot and we discovered we both have very similar tastes. Her vision and style is unbelievably incredible. Courtney sees beyond what anyone can imagine, some of the pieces we get to work with are just so beautiful it actually brings tears to my eyes.
WHAT IS THE MOST TREASURED ITEM IN YOUR WARDROBE?
It has to be my Kylie Dress! It was a birthday present from my bezzie Gareth Pugh. We actually worked on the costumes for Kylie’s greatest hits tour a few years back. He made me a replica dress. I cried when he gave it to me, so only Kylie and me have it!
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN FASHION?
I did my Fashion and textiles BTEC in Liverpool, then I went on to do a BA in Fashion at MMU. My first job was at Miss Sixty in Roma and then l came back to London where I’ve worked with an array of amazing people and labels, such as Garth Pugh, 7 For All Mankind, Victoria Beckham Denim, and Courtney Love.
WHO IS YOUR STYLE ICON?
Beyonce.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TIME OF DAY?
Sunrise.
WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?
The Great Gatsby
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ON NYE AND WHO WILL YOU BE KISSING?
My other half. We will be at his parents in Oita, Japan, eating lots of new years sushi, drinking lots of sake and watching a lot of Japanese game shows. On New Years Eve will be getting up early and heading to the shrine.
WHO IS YOUR CURRENT STYLE CRUSH?
Lana Del Rey
WHAT TUNES GOT THE CROWDS MOVING AT THE MAC EVENT YOU PLAYED AT LAST THURSDAY NIGHT?
Well here are 5 crackers to name a few…
J-lo – l’m In To you
Robin S. – Love for Love
Beyonce - Run The World
Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
Kylie - Shocked
J-lo – l’m In To you
Robin S. – Love for Love
Beyonce - Run The World
Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
Kylie - Shocked
WHERE ARE YOU OFF TO NOW?
Bedfordshire
Text Milly McMahon
Saturday, 17 December 2011
i-DJ: Crazy P
Pop-tastic, soul seeking, disco quintet Crazy P use vocal loops and vino to channel good vibrations with their 70’s inspired dance floor fillers.
Finger clicking good, the shoulder shimmying, rhythm funk, Crazy P comrades Chris Todd, Jim Baron, Dannielle Moore, Tim Davies and Matt Klose have earnt themselves a loyal following. Packing out venues all over the world for the past five years, the formerly titled ‘Crazy Penis’, first met when they were students at Nottingham University. Discovered and signed to Mancunian imprint Paper Recordings, the electro pop outfit then spent most of their time getting messy at heady, all night raves and local parties. Experimental, outlandish and up for anything, their reputation for bringing the fun to a good night out proceeds them and today the five friends make a living playing their experimental, funky house productions at uber clubs and festivals.
Individually pursuing side projects off the back of Crazy P, the five plan to spread their wings further afield in 2012. i-D online caught up with the crew to find out what their future holds.
Tell me about your earlier days when you were Crazy Penis, were you all more free spirited, care free individuals back then? We were certainly younger which comes with a certain amount of abandonment but we were never into throwing TVs out of windows or anything! If we did it was from a ground floor hotel room and we went straight outside and brought it back in! The music has probably evolved more than changed, we’re more confident with sounds and more open to experimentation. The Penis used samples, we tend to steer clear of that now!
What fresh Nottingham talents are you excited about right now? Red Rackem, but he’s in Berlin now, Clyde officially from Derby, but hey!
Where’s good to have a good night out in Nottingham? Moog for a dance and if Boogaloo is still open that’s a good night. Other than that a good curry house and the Gladstone pub, a local face!
What are your creative processes when writing new material?They vary, mainly Jim and Chris are forthcoming with ideas. It’s the three of us that were responsible for the last album previous to which we worked as the live band thrashing out jamming sessions. This time we went back to basics and worked from a production point of view. It was an experiment that worked. I got familiar with a vocal loop machine which was new to me whilst the lads got stuck into their various instruments and wizardry. Partnered with a few bottles of vino we had some very enjoyable nights in the Crazy P towers.
How do you want audiences to feel when they listen to your music? Connected, interested, warm, sexy, vibrant, melancholic, energised, reflective, spirited, tall, ready for moving forward, a bit cheesy I know but every emotion!
Which artists, bands or DJ’s have had a significant impact upon your sound? We all grew up with good disco. War, Stevie Wonder, Chic, Kid Creole and of course all the New York inspired disco movements through to Prince, The Cure and all the quality 80s pop that is timeless. Kate Bush, Moloko, Jamie Lidel, LCD, it’s an endless list!
What’s the best gig you’ve played to date? Apart from the recent Bristol Motion gig, our Leeds show was simply the best – and The Garden Festival. It’s a tough question to answer but we are lucky to have had some quality gigs all over the place. The first memorable one was Good Vibrations Australia 2004, Nitin Sawney and Moloko on the bill, Moloko smashed it!!!
What ambitions do you have yet to fulfil? Have an empty washing basket!
See our full i-DJ archive here.
Text: Milly McMahon
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